Dragon Island
by missselkie
Summary: The Night Fury was just minding his business. He didn't really expect to find a crippled human. And for some reason he can't bring himself to finish the small viking off, even if any other dragon wouldn't hesitate to do so. Whats a dragon to do?
1. The Fall

**Chapter One**

It really wasn't a good day for Hiccup. Scratch that, actually, this hasn't been a good _week_.

First, he accidentally sets the forge aflame. Gobber hadn't been mad, he just laughed and shook his head. The forge was mostly fire proof, but there was still some damage. But his dad just heaved a deep, impatient sigh and shook his head when he saw the roaring flames, silencing Gobber and making Hiccup want to just sink into the ground. Then he utterly embarrassed himself in dragon training, almost getting killed for what seemed like the twentieth time. If it wasn't for Astrid slamming the Nadder in the face with the flat of her ax, he'd be dragon chow.

 _Then_ his dad almost didn't let him go on the trip to 'Dragon Island'. It was a trip most Viking teens took when they turned 14, alone. It was to prove themselves, show that they were as strong as their ancestors. Honestly, it was really a glorified camping trip. With dragons. While Hiccup wasn't to keen on the whole dragons part, not going meant eternal teasing from Snotlout and everyone's beliefs of him being proven right. He desperately wanted to show his village, and mostly his dad, that he was in fact not useless. If he could just survive a measly week at that stupid island, maybe everyone wouldn't totally give up on him.

After a full three days of begging, Stoick crumbled and agreed. Hiccup had beamed, but quickly schooled his expression into a more casual one. But later that day at the forge, he excitedly rambled to Gobber. The older Viking was honestly just pleased Hiccup was happy for once. Really, that boy was much to quiet and sullen for his age. That fire seen in most Vikings eyes was always missing from Hiccups these days.

The next day Hiccup boarded the ship that would take them to their destination. The other teens had regarded him warily, or just with annoyance.

"Who let the fish bone aboard?" Snotlout spat with a cheeky grin. Hiccup ignored him, knowing a reaction would spur him on. Instead he sorted through his backpack, making sure he had everything. It wasn't like he hadn't checked it a thousand times already...mostly out of nervousness. He was excited, yes, but as a kid who could barely hold an ax over his head, travelling to an island full of bloodthirsty dragons was nerve-wracking.

The air was chill and nipped at his nose and cheeks. He didn't quite care, it kept him more aware. The water was also freezing, and churning restlessly beneath the boat. Mulch was at the helm. He was just to drop them off, then leave. Above, the sky was a wooly grey, forecasting rain. It was still bright out, however. Stray sun rays struggled to leak past the fleecy clouds.

Hours later, an island appeared on the horizon. It was empty of any tribe, and was most known for containing lots and lots of winged reptiles, hence the name. It was about the size of Berk, and was populated mostly by tall, thin pine trees and ferns. The beach was pebbly instead of sandy, and black rocks jutted out here and there from the water at random. Mulch expertly avoided them, and soon they hit the land. Hiccup took a deep breath then released it, attempting to calm his frazzled nerves. As his leather boots hit the shifty, small obsidian pebbles, Mulch started talking.

"Ye all know the rules?" He asked. Everyone nodded. It was noticeably quiet. On the way here, the boat had been alive with excited chatting. Now they were really here and it was sinking in. "Good luck then, kiddos. See ye all Monday!" He said much to cheerfully, then pushed his boat from the shore. He left behind six kids, who were all looking amongst themselves.

"So, are we doing groups or...?" Hiccup piped up, awkwardly rocking back on his heels. Snotlout laughed obnoxiously.

"Yeah, no. Like I would camp with you." He grinned. Tuffnut and Ruffnut both chuckled as well, walking up to stand beside Snotlout. Astrid elbowed him in the ribs, but didn't do much else in Hiccups defence. He could never really tell what Astrid thought of him. During dragon training she always seemed to swoop in and save his butt, and always seemed more and more irritated each time she had too. Hiccup didn't really blame her. He was quite annoying. She never participated in any bullying, but also never did anything to stop it. So she was a semi-decent person.

"Well, whoever wants to survive should come with me. Anyone who wants to be eaten, follow Hiccup." Snotlout chimed. Everyone gravitated over to him, leaving Hiccup looking embarrassed and by himself.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you all Monday." Hiccup mumbled, as they all walked past him. At least Fishlegs had the decency to look apologetic. Hiccup forgave the bulky boy. It was true, you would probably have a better chance at surviving with anyone but him. Kicking a pebble, he headed in the opposite direction. Whatever. Anyways, the 'rules' said they had to survive independently anyways, for the most honour. Of course those rules were there loosely, and no one actually followed them. There was safety in numbers anyways, which was obvious

After walking for awhile through the forest, Hiccup stopped in a small clearing. It didn't seem as damp as the rest of the forest (it seemed to rain here...a lot). He set down his backpack and pulled out a tarp-like blanket and went on the search for some large logs. When he was little, his dad had showed him how to make an a-frame shelter. Of course that's before Stoick realized his son was a failure of a human being. Hiccup grimaced at that dark thought, then buried it as he focused on constructing a little shelter. The ground was slippery with moss and mushrooms, and puddles dotted here and there. Bows of trees hung low, and bumping into them shook look a small shower of water droplets. Hiccup returned to his small clearing half soaked and cold, a frown fixed on his face.

He set down the thin logs and long sticks in a small pile, then began organizing them. Despite being cold and wet, he felt quite content. The forest back on Berk always calmed him, and he always liked exploring. This one was no different. It was new too, which meant more to adventure. Though he wanted to stay away from the mountains, where there were lots of caves. And where there were caves, there were dragons. He hoped he wouldn't have to use the ax his dad had dumped in his arms. After bracing two logs against each other, he dug through his bag for some leather strips he had shoved in. Finding a handful, he used them to tie the logs securely together, on both sides. He moved the structure beneath a big pine tree, to provide extra shelter from the rain. Maybe he would gather some fallen boughs to get more coverage.

The first night went surprisingly smoothly. He had started a small fire, and was reasonably warm all night in his thin sleeping bag. In the morning he munched on some dried fruit, not much though, since he meant to ration his collection of dried food to last all week. It was raining, and a little chilly, so he remained in his shelter, happy it wasn't leaking. He had his sleeping bag wrapped around his shoulders, and was doodling a gnarled tree in his journal. It was quite peaceful, even if he knew finding dry firewood would be a pain in the butt later. He also wanted to stop by the beach, and see if there were tide pools to catch fish or shellfish in.

When it stopped sprinkling, he rolled up his sleeping bag and tucked away his journal. He set the blanket over his backpack, just in case the roof decided to leak. Stretching, he sighed and looked around. Alright. Firewood. And maybe a bigger striking rock. He was about fifty meters from his campsite, lugging along his ax when he heard a crash from not far off. Like a startled deer he froze in place, eyes darting around the greenery. He un-tensed when he saw Snotlout stumble out in front of him, followed by Astrid (who moved much more gracefully).

"Hey! Look! He's alive!" Snotlout said, actually looking surprised.

"You seem disappointed." Hiccup retorted, rolling his eyes. Judging by Snots' disheveled appearance, he was probably doing better than him. Astrid seemed impressed, though. "I'm looking for firewood. What are you guys doing?"

"Same as you." Astrid shrugged. She flipped her own ax onto her shoulder, seeming bored.

"And also checking on you." Snotlout added, his tone not teasing for once. Was he actually worried? Or had he wanted to catch Hiccup embarrassing himself or failing miserably?

"Oh, cool." Hiccup said, a little awkwardly. A silence passed between them for a few beats, until Hiccup turned to look under a bush for some stray branches. The other two followed his example, and started scavenging the area. Soon Hiccups arms were full of reasonably dry downfall, from help from Astrid. They shared between themselves, while Snotlout stubbornly trudged around aimlessly looking for some by himself. Astrid already seemed tired of Snotlouts constant flirting and over-confidence. She didn't mind Hiccups company, mostly because unlike his cousin, he was quiet and quite smart.

Their searching was cut short when they heard a low growl. A shiver clawed its way up Hiccups spine as he turned. Astrid dropped her wood and gripped her ax tighter. The three drifted closer together, looking around. Hiccup gulped as his own forest green met eerie yellow. A large male Nadder prowled out from the trees. It's spines were bristled and jaw hanging open, showing off razor sharp, spiny teeth. Astrid whirled around and watched the predator carefully, waiting for it to charge. Hiccup kept backing up, bumping into his cousin who nervously elbowed him aside.

This wasn't a controlled environment. There was no Gobber to swoop in and hook the creature by its jaw, nor thick steel bars to keep it at bay.

Snotlout (stupidly) acted first. He roared and swung his sword at the Nadders face, who in turn shrieked and flared its wings. Snotlout swung again, trying to be heroic as usual. The Nadder stomped forward and roared, causing birds to fly from the trees and a cold sweat to break out on Hiccups forehead. His hands were clammy and made the heavy ax slip and slide in his grip. His eyes were trained on the now enraged Nadder, who's tail was whipping dangerously back and forth. Suddenly it charged, and Astrid then swung. The Wild Nadder was smart though, ducking under the attack and kicking the girl aside. She rolled away but lifted her ax once more, striking a hit against the vibrant purple hide. The dragon cried out, and stumbled away.

A few magenta scales fell away, but the skin underneath wasn't breached, just bruised. It charged Astrid, who ran behind a tree. It ran around it but met her ax again, the flat of it smashing into the dragons skull. Snotlout also attacked from the other side. Just when it seemed ready to run, it snapped at Snotlout and whipped Astrid with its tail, knocking her to the ground, hard. She didn't get back up. Hiccup rushed to help, but the Nadder stepped in front of her and growled ferociously.

So, here's the fourth worst thing of his week. Being chased by a throughly pissed off dragon.

Hiccup was quite skilled in the art of 'run like hell then hide'. He ran as fast as he could, the dragon hot on his heels. He zig zagged between trees, ignoring scratches and hits from branches. He almost fell a few times, and in the distance he could hear Snotlout yelling about something. His lungs burned, and his feet ached. Every breath cool, humid air raked down his raw throat, and his blood roared in his ears. Why was the dragon suddenly chasing him? He had no idea. But it was sure determined to catch him now.

After what felt like forever, then the _fifth_ worst thing happened. He took another step...onto open air. With a gasp he was suddenly falling, then rolling down a steep, muddy incline. The Nadder slid to a stop at the very edge, knocking soil and quite large rocks loose to tumble after the boy. After at least eight full rolls he thudded to a stop.

He hurt. It was like his whole body was bruised. He was pretty sure he tasted the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, and his shoulder burned with pain. He couldn't quite feel his legs or arms, which was worrying. In the background he heard the Nadder screeching, from somewhere up above. But it was hard to focus on specific things, and most of it sounded like dull murmurs. Whatever he did, it was bad. He didn't have much time to worry though, as soon the outside world was almost completely blocked. He felt himself steadily slipping into unconsciousness...and soon, it was nothing but dark. Peaceful, painless, dark.

 _((Hello! This is my first time posting a story! Hopefully you enjoyed! Also, some info here. In this story Hiccup has not made friends with any dragons and just continued dragon fighting training. Berk still fights dragons and stuff. Poor Hic is just a lonely little fish bone still. But that's gonna change! Welp, if you like this drop a review, lemme know what you liked or didn't, both helps! I have no beta so all mistakes are mine UwU please be gentle i am but a simple farmer))_


	2. The Dragon

Astrid and Snotlout burst into the camp, bruised and pale faced. The twins exchanged a look, both confused.

"Hey, firewood? We kind of need it?" Ruffnut grumbled, a hand on her hip. Her brother stood and crossed his arms, chuckling.

"Were you two busy smooshing faces to get firewood?" He guffawed, but stopped when Astrid fixed him with a deadly look. Snotlout sat by the fire, crouching in on himself quietly. He looked terror stricken. Fishlegs looked between the two roughed up teens, but before he could ask anything, Astrid spoke.

"Get your weapons. We're all heading out." She ordered, voice cold. Snotlout rose, looking almost frail. His eyes were glassy and he kept sniffling. Astrid patted his arm, then walked across their camp to grab bolas and her extra hunting knife.

"W-what's wrong?" Fishlegs asked, desperate for answers. The two returning teens looked so rattled. And earlier they had heard yelling. They assumed Astrid was just finally beating up Snotlout for a stupid comment. Snotlout wiped his nose with a snuffle, finally blinking back his tears.

"We have to go save Hiccup." He said, solemnly.

A sleek black dragon prowled through the undergrowth, his eyes as green as leaves in the sunlight. He peered around, curious to see the cause of the uproar earlier. The Nadders roars had shook the tree tops and scared off a deer he had been stalking. Miffed, he followed the Nadders scent to a cliffs edge. Other scents, faint from hours of sitting there, caught his attention. The familiar, musty scent of Viking. The dragon blinked, then glanced around. He had to stay more alert, then. Vikings often visited this island once every few seasons. Other than that, they left the island be, thankfully. It was great refuge, and far from the Queen.

The Night Fury made his way to a steep drop off. In the mud there were the giant prints of the Nadder, but smaller ones mixed in as well. Looking closer, he saw one then no more. The human may have been picked up and flown away...or... The dragon peeked over the edge, seeing boulders and loose stones gathered at the bottom. Mud and dirt on the face of the drop off clearly had something impact it. The dragon tilted its head and glided down to the bottom.

Hiccup blearily opened his eyes, wincing at what felt like a sledgehammer pounding behind his eyes.

"Ow, ow, ow..." He croaked, slowly sitting up. Sadly that hurt intensely, so he just laid back down again. The rocks and mud under his back didn't do much for comfort, but it was hard to notice the rock digging into his back when his head felt cloudy with pain. His shoulder was defiantly badly damaged, and ached with every small movement. Breathing made him cringe. Groaning, he forced his eyes all the way open. Blinking against the harsh light of day, he looked around. Well, there's the slope he didn't see until the last moment. The Nadder was gone, thankfully.

Was he out for long? It had been late morning when he was chased right? He looked around for the sun, but thin clouds and pine trees obscured most of his view of the sky. Exhaling, he let his head rest again. It felt heavy. He still couldn't feel his legs, or more specifically, his left one. Maybe shock hadn't worn off yet. He couldn't have been knocked out for more than five minutes.

Great. First day of proving himself to be a Viking, and he had already tumbled down a cliff from running fearfully away from a dragon. But really, what was he expecting? Everyone knew it wouldn't end well. For those few moments earlier, he had felt just a little proud of himself. Now he was back to his usual mindset. He closed his eyes, allowing a moment to wallow in his own self pity.

A large whoosh of wind ruffled his hair. He stiffened. There was a thud, and sniffing sounds not too far away. Oh for Thors sake, had he not suffered enough? Another dragon? Or was it the same, coming to finish him off? He highly doubted he could get away in this condition. Maybe he could just play dead? Deciding that was his best option, he promptly slumped in a supposedly dead looking position.

The snuffling stopped, followed by a 'chuff' noise. The footsteps got closer. They didn't sound huge and heavy like the Nadders. So another beast? Hopefully this one wasn't clever or anything...

Hiccup heard rocks shifting under the weight of the dragon, and soon he could hear the dragons breathing. He prayed it couldn't hear his heart racing in his chest. It sounded very loud in his ears. He held his breath, because dead things didn't usually breath (and he was so afraid he couldn't breath properly anyways). The dragon smelt like fish and burning wood, and he tried to not scrunch his nose up at the scent.

Rocks shifted, bigger ones. The dragon made a low noise, and Hiccup tried to not jump as he felt the brush of scales near his ribs. Another dull thud of rocks falling, this one sounding louder. Then another, sounding way closer. After a moment, Hiccups eyes flew open as white hot pain flew through the nerves in his left leg, then focused about mid shin, remaining there. It pounded in time with his heart, and he gasped at the burning sensation. Panic filled his head along with the pain, as he turned his head only to meet eyes with acidic green ones. A large, black dragon stood much to close for comfort, staring at Hiccup intensely. It looked a little startled, it's eyes wide and legs awkwardly far apart, wings opened.

Not quite knowing what to do, Hiccup squeaked a small "Hello..."

Why did he say hello to a bloodthirsty, fire spewing monster from hel? He blamed it on shock. Either that or all the pain in his head wasn't letting him think clearly.

The dragon backed up a step, eyeing the human dirtily. Hiccup pulled his knees to his chest, not liking the sound of bones shifting under the flesh of his left foot. It was really messed up. He was so screwed. And he couldn't run, or play dead. The dragon calmed down and creeped closer, baring its teeth. Hiccup stayed still, not wanting to give it a reason to snap at him. So far the dragon just seemed defensive. And it had knocked that rock off his foot. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Dragon fighting training said that he should scream, and roar. To make himself look as big as he could, and throw whatever he could at the beast. But something in himself ignored all that. He made himself look as small as possible, and the only noise was his laboured breaths.

The dragon came even closer. Hiccup flinched, shutting his eyes. He heard snuffling in his ears, and his hair being messed around with it. What was it doing? What did it want? The dragon drew back, and Hiccup peeked open one eye. It's teeth weren't bared anymore. It's gaze didn't seem so threatening, the pupils rounder in its eyes. Hiccup didn't dare move, however. He meant to squeeze his knees closer for some kind of comfort, but let out a grunt of pain and threw his arms away from his injured leg. He covered his mouth and looked to the dragon. It tilted its head, not looking startled. The weird ear flaps on its head were perked, like a dogs ears.

It crooned, stepping even closer. It leaned down and sniffed at his injured leg, even nudging it.

"No!" Hiccup piped, then bit his lip. Oh gods, that hurt. The tiniest movement hurt. The dragon flicked its tail, then snuffed. Hiccup stared at the creature. He had never seen this species before. It was odd...walking around on four legs like an ox, it's wings not attached to its arms. Even folded up, the boy could tell they were large. The dragons scales were fine and so close together it was hard to tell if it even had scales.

It didn't seem too aggressive. It hadn't eaten him yet, so that was good. Now if only it would stop bothering his leg!

They both stared for awhile. Making intense eye contact.

It huffed and leaned away, licking its armpit like a bored cat.

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked. Yes, he was talking to a dragon. It didn't seem hungry, and it had moved that stupid stone off his foot. The dragons ear flap things shot up again, and it bobbed its head at Hiccups words.

"Whaat. Doo. Youuu. Wannnt?" Hiccup said, slower. The dragon bobbed its head again, and stepped up so close Hiccup could see the reflections of trees on its round pupils. "You don't seem to want to eat me, yet. Or slaughter me. But now you're just staring at me." Hiccup further explained, chatting with the beast like it was another human.

Back on Berk, when he wasn't failing at dragon training or burning the forge down, he had been following around a little Terror. After awhile when he fed it fish, it had let him touch it before squawking and flying away. Terrors were common, like rats. Hiccup had always been weary of them, but after that he realized they were more like greedy kittens. This realization sadly made him sick when he saw Vikings splatter the poor little things with their axes. So yes, he had a little idea of how not all dragons wanted to kill. But this was a large, sharply toothed monster. Who was dark as the night, and acting quite oddly. More like that terror, just curious and weary.

"So, are you like, an oversized Terror?" Hiccup thought aloud, still gazing at the beast. It actually looked somewhat offended, and showing it by blowing hot air in Hiccups face. Which smelt like old fish. Hiccup almost gagged. The dragon seemed to smirk, but focused again after shaking its head a little. Slowly, it leaned forward and pressed its broad head into Hiccups chest, folding Hiccup's upper body over it. In one smooth movement, it rose, straightening Hiccup into a standing position.

The human gasped in pain, stumbling. White spots danced in his vision, and he clacked his teeth together in a hiss. He had accidentally let weight on his foot. Seven realms, that hurt! He couldn't help but glare at the dragon who had helped him stand, who drew away. "Um, ouch!" Hiccup protested, face pale. He felt like throwing up, preferably all over the stupid nosy dragon. It, in return, crooned and bumped its face into Hiccups middle.

"No! Stop!" Hiccup cried, as pain filled his nerves from shifting his feet. The dragon shot back at his loud voice, but circled back with a low grunt. Catching his breath, he hugged himself, leaning heavily on his only good leg. "What do you want?!" He uselessly yelled, like the dragon would answer the question. It hadn't the last thousand times. Hiccup limped away from the beast, gritting his teeth. Everything ached, and his head felt light headed.

"Go away!" Hiccup shooed, waving his arms around. The weirdo dragon looked annoyed and kept walking alongside him.

Ok. So there's a crazy dragon following him. His foot is messed up, he might pass out soon/bleed out, and he's separated from everyone. Just great. Wonderful. What could Hiccup The Useless do next? He miserably trudged on.

Astrid walked through the forest, ignoring the cold biting into her skin. It was sprinkling now, but she knew the rain would get heavier. She desperately combed the landscape with the other teens, retracing her steps from earlier. Soon, just as the rain started pouring, they found a small hunting knife. Hiccups, one he kept in his vest. Ruffnut called the group over. Footprints. Small enough to be Hiccups, as well. They followed them tirelessly. They all looked worn out, and weighed down heavily. Snotlout was probably the least put together. Despite the group mostly exiling Hiccup...none of them really wanted him hurt, or even dead.

He was just a harmless, weird, kid. Astrid personally was getting fond of him. He was clever and sassy, and painfully sarcastic. Sure, he really sucked at combat against anything, and Astrid was tired of constantly having to shove him out of harms way. Now he was probably injured, alone, or even dead. She groaned in frustration.

Snotlout didn't look good. Astrid guessed it was because he might've lost his cousin. Even though the boy tormented Hiccup relentlessly, he surely didn't want his little cousin harmed. Only she knew, but he had beaten up a Bog Burglar when he found out she was shoving Hiccup around. She could tell Snotlout cared, but sadly his ego and pompousness made it very hard to tell.

"Astrid, down there!" She ran over to where Snotlout was pointing. A steep drop off, full of big rocks and stones at the bottom. Carefully, one by one, they slid down.

"The footprints ended at the edge." Ruffnut reported. "He may have slid down to avoid the dragon." Astrid nodded.

"Look around!" She called, but the teens were already scanning around. Astrid followed the trail of overturned rocks and broken branches of small trees. She stopped, gasping slightly. Her stone cold exterior melted a little, as she kneeled down. On a large rock, a small pool of dried, rusty red blood stained. There wasn't much more, and any other pools were being rapidly washed away from the rocks by the rain.

She rose, gripping her ax tighter. Her expression was one of worry and anger. She was angry at herself. She could have protected the Chiefs son better, like she had before. But it had been jarring, when her feet were swept from underneath her. Facing a wild, energy filled dragon was terrifying. Not that anyone knew she had been scared...

((Hello again! Thank you for the wonderful reviews, so kind! Well here's chapter two! D'ya like it? I do. Despite the kind of dark beginning, I want this story to be a lil cute. But there may be some angst...I'm not sure yet :3 well, thank you so much for your favourites and follows, and I'm glad you like it! Next time: we figure out why Toothless is acting so odd, Hiccup gets more frustrated with the 'overgrown terror', and Astrid and the gang continue their search...))


	3. The Breakdown

Hiccup sat up, holding his head in his hands. Well, it didn't feel as bad as before. At least it didn't feel as numb and hazy, and he felt he could think clearer. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and braced himself against a nearby wall. He looked out the mouth of the cave, where rain dumped down in buckets. The dull roar of it must've woken him up. He yawned, stretching carefully. His muscles ached, and his shoulder especially.

Eventually his eyes went down to his badly damaged foot. The rock had crushed it. Or really badly sprained it. He frowned and laid his leg out flat, the other one tucked up by his chest to keep some heat in. It was chilly, and the occasional cold breeze from outside didn't help. At least it was better than hiding under a tree.

Hiccup blinked. Wait. How did he get in a cave? He doesn't remember finding it...or journeying to find one. He was aiming to hobble back to his campsite when he had...

He had passed out again. But how did he end up in a freakin cave? Perhaps he sleepwalked? Is that even possible? As he wracked his brain for answers, a dark shape bounded up towards the mouth of the cave, sliding in and shaking off. Hiccup sputtered and held his arms up to protect from the spray.

Ah. So the crazy weirdo dragon wasn't part of some pain induced hallucination. It was real, and it had dragged him into this cave. And judging by the little pebble shaped scales scattered around, it was the dragons own cave. Does that count as abduction? Has he been kidnapped by a flying lizard?

Then, the rest of the trauma-induced fogginess dissipated from his head. _Oh_. Oh no. He was in the den of a dragon, injured, and completely at its mercy. He tensed, then started to scramble backwards to the entrance. The dragon didn't notice, so he kept slowly moving. His heart was in his throat, and his breathes quick with fear. How had he been so lenient before? He must've hit his head really, really hard. It still ached, as if a reminder. His back was suddenly pelted with cold rain, and he gasped at the cold. The black dragon turned then.

It made a surprised noise, then padded after the frightened human. He tutted like an annoyed mother, reaching forward with a clawed paw to drag the Viking back into his cave.

"No!" The human yelled. It seemed to like that word. It started babbling quickly, his eyes wide with clear fear. He held his hands out, as if his noodley arms had any chance at stopping the large beast. The Night Fury grabbed the humans un-injured foot in his jaws, and gently dragged the human away from the cold rain. The human had his arms around his face now, his chest rising up and down quickly and mumbling words rapidly.

The Night Fury puffed out an annoyed breath. When this frightened the teen even more, he decided on staying completely still. Surely, after awhile, the human lowered his arms, and gazed at the Night Fury wearily.

Why was the dragon being so hospitable? The Night Fury has been alone for a long time. He has never met another one of his species, and doesn't get along with other dragons. Night Furies are mostly feared for their deadly aim and little mercy, so dragons of other species tended to leave them alone. This particular Night Fury couldn't help but feel a little...sad. He was playful and quite childish, not to mention brimming with curiosity.

He has never seen a Viking up close before. This human in his den didn't seem like a Viking, though. It was small, squeaky, and does not scream or hurl sharp things at him. Are there different species of human, like dragons? Is this one just a different type? He decided he liked this version of human better.

Plus, it was injured and scared. Like a helpless hatchling. The little guy would have died out there, trapped under a rock.

The Night Fury leaned forward a little, crooning. He hoped he sounded non-threatening to the humans ears. The human still watched him, eyes still flicking around as if looking for an escape. So, the dragon laid down, making himself seem less threatening. It seemed to work, after a few minute the humans heart stopped thumping so loud.

"What do you want from me?" The human asked. He had that annoyed tone in his voice, rather than scared. That was better.

Hiccup frowned as the dragon just crooned again, and stepped forward to nudge him. "No." Hiccup said. The dragon seemed to understand that one word, thankfully. It stopped. "Why'd you abduct me?" Hiccup questioned.

This dragon acted eerily human. It seemed very intelligent, and could sense Hiccups moods. He was sure it had figured out 'no' means stop. It learned quicker than a yak or horse, it seemed. That still didn't explain why the dragon had basically...saved him? It was a weird thing to say, but it wasn't wrong. It had freed his leg from the rock, and didn't just leave him to rot. It had taken him to the cave, all limbs intact.

The dragon looked impatient and drew nearer. "For the last time, no! No, no, no! Stay away from me you weird dragon!" Hiccup snapped. In retrospect, it probably was a bad idea to yell at a dragon. Or show it any kind of disrespectful attitude, really. To Hiccups surprise, the dragon drew away, looking a little like a kicked puppy. It tromped over to near the entrance, then curled up and laid down.

 _Well_.

That worked better than he expected.

Not for long though.

Hiccup had leaned against the cave wall, shutting his eyes. Despite being passed out for much of the day, he still felt exhausted. And hungry. The pain wasn't as bad as before, mostly because he had gotten used to the constant aching for now. He sighed and slumped against the smooth stone, rubbing his temples.

His eyes popped open when he felt a small nudge on his healthier leg. The dragon stared back at him, then went back to investigating the injured foot. "No. Go to your side of the cave, and stop bothering me!" Hiccup ordered, pointing to the other wall. The dragons ear flaps flattened against its skull, and it slowly backed up to the other side of the small cave. "Now stay, and don't eat me or whatever." Hiccup frowned. He still wasn't sure what the dragon wanted from him.

After a minute or two of two way glaring, Hiccup closed his eyes again. His eyelids felt heavy like lead. He even yawned, but didn't stretch. It hurt just a bit to much. Just as he felt himself slipping into sleep, he was suddenly yanked forward. Startled, he locked his gaze onto the culprit. The dragon had his mouth wide open, right over his injured foot.

He yanked it away, ignoring the flare of pain at the sudden movement. The dragon looked surprised, and slowly closed its mouth.

"What the heck?!" Hiccup gasped, his voice cracking. Fear settled in his gut once again. So it was going to eat him! It was just waiting until he couldn't defend himself! Deciding his stay in the cave was over, he started to awkwardly limp towards the entrance. Of course the large dragon agilely moved itself in front of him, blocking the only exit. It was making gurgling and crooning noises, ear flaps going up and down.

"No! Move!" Hiccup yelped, knowing bossing around a dragon who wanted to eat you would never work. The dragon stomped one of its feet and flared its wings in protest. With those large, bat like wings, it attempted to herd Hiccup back into the cave. The boy struggled the entire time, pushing against the membrane of the wing or the dragons chest.

Hiccup ducked under one wing then stumbled out the cave into the rain, slipping on a slick rock. He promptly landed on his butt. Which hurt. But he got up again, determined not to get eaten. Just when he thought the dragon would just leave him be, it appeared in front of him again. It snorted, blinking rainwater out of its eyes.

Hiccup paused mid-step, glaring at the dragon. His shin burned, and he couldn't feel anything beneath it. It was probably numb from the cold. He was soaking wet by now, his bangs hanging over his eyes and clothes clinging to his skinny frame. He must look pathetic. He sure did feel like it...this dragon was just toying with him. He couldn't die an honourable death, in combat or something. Noo, he had to be played with and tricked. By some random lizard.

Hugging himself, he felt tears wet his eyes. Luckily the dragon probably couldn't see them in the rain. Everyone was right. He was useless. Why did he even go on this trip? Why does he even try? It was his last chance to prove himself just a little, and he messed it up. The village would surely celebrate. The village menace would be gone. No more fires, crazy inventions, or embarrassment.

He found himself sniffling, and trembling violently. A mix of tears and rain made his vision blurry. He felt like he was falling apart finally. Nothing like impending doom to set off a long suppressed breakdown!

Suddenly he felt warm scales pressing into his chest. A soothing sound rumbled from the beast. Not finding the will to fight the creature anymore, Hiccup silently leaned more weight on the broad dragons head. His body twitched with quiet sobs, and shivers from the cold. He hurt. Physically, and emotionally. He was so tired. Hiccup knew he couldn't keep on like he had. Dark thoughts had started resonating in his head more often...and a crushing feeling of loneliness had set in.

The dragon nudged him back towards the cave. It lifted a wing, sheltering the Viking from the downpour. Hiccup walked with the dragon, leaning on its side heavily. He winced with every step, sniffling here and there. The two made it to the cave, where the dragon laid down. Hiccup hesitantly sat down, after the dragon had gestured to the place beside it. He leaned against its side, appreciating the warmth from the creature. It cooed at him, as Hiccup wiped away salty tears on his damp cheeks.

They met eyes, and this time it wasn't glaring. Hiccup saw...concern, of some type. The dragon saw sadness in Hiccups forest green eyes, now glassy with tears.

It was only a few moments before Hiccup drifted off to sleep, less fitful than any slumber before. His exhaustion finally took over, and he found it easy to slip into a deep sleep.

In the morning (or what he presumed to be morning), he opened his eyes to darkness. Puzzled, he reached out his hand. It met smooth, dark scales. He quickly drew his hand back. Curiosity made him push on the dragon more, though (also he had to the bathroom pretty bad). A rumbling noise from the beast was heard, and it's wing was lifted. It had been curled around him? Weird dragon. After freeing him, the teen sat up slowly. Most of the pain in his shoulder and back had dissipated. That's good. But he still couldn't feel his left foot.

A puff of fishy, hot air caught his attention and pulled him from his musings. He turned and paid attention to the sleek dragon. It gently nudged him back against itself, then draped its wing over him again.

"No, I have to get up!" Hiccup protested, voice muffled by the wing. He flicked it, in what he hoped was annoying. Soon the limb twitched and rose again, revealing two green eyes blinking at Hiccup, annoyance clear. Hiccup clumsily got to his feet, leaning on the dragons shoulder for support. His left leg has apparently decided not to work today, wonderful. He hobbled to the exit, noticing the dragon following him, looking tired.

"I'm going to the bathroom, don't follow me you weirdo," Hiccup explained "I'm not leaving this time." The dragon grunted, then sat down at the entrance. Hiccup shrugged then went to do his business. When he returned, the dragons ears perked and it cooed. It padded forward, to walk beside him. To assist him? That was decent of it. "Thanks, I guess." Hiccup muttered. The dragon led him to a large flat rock by the entrance. Ah, the one he slipped on last night. Speaking of that...

"Sorry you had to deal with that." Hiccup sighed, rubbing his arms awkwardly. "Like, what happened last night. Oh, and thanks for not eating me I guess. You're not too bad for a dragon..." Hiccup admitted, sheepishly. The dragon looked at him strangely, then 'chuffed' and nudged its head under one of his arms. Carefully, Hiccup pet the obsidian scales under his calloused fingertips. The dragon rumbled in what seemed like a purr.

It was quite warm outside, with a hot sun and crisp breeze. For once there were no rain clouds in the distance or overhead, just the robins egg blue sky. The Night Fury's cave was located some ways from the shore, a little ways up the mountain. Tall pine trees clung to the side of the mountain, and their needles blanketed the ground. It was quite nice up here, Hiccup noted. For once he felt a little safe, and even cared about. The dragon had its tail curled around him, and was purring like some giant, scaled cat. Maybe it was a larger-than-average Terrible Terror. But it's apparent great intelligence shot down that theory.

A weird dragon, it was. But it had also shown more kindness than he's ever received from any Viking (in its own way).

"There was a-a lot of blood on those rocks, Astrid. He might b-be-" before Fishlegs could finish, he was cut off with a sharp thud of Astrid's ax into a tree. She pulled it from the hard oak effortlessly, breathing sharp.

"We can't just give up! Hiccup is our future chief! We have to get him back," Astrid bit out, her icy blue eyes sweeping over everyone in the camp. They looked back with a mixture of worry and fear. "W-we need to at least bring a body back or whatever!" She said, more sullenly. The rest went pale faced at the thought.

"We don't have nearly enough time to search the entire island! We only have a week." Ruffnut protested weakly. She didn't want to give up on Hiccup, but if he had been carried away by a dragon, he could literally be anywhere. Astrid knew this too, but she held onto her hope and stubbornness more firmly.

"Let's try, at least..." Astrid sighed, slumping against a tree, with her arms crossed. "We'll do a few more sweeps of the island."

No one argued, just nodded tiredly. Most were gathered around the fire, as it was dusk and getting chilly. The forest was eerily quiet. They had found Hiccups small campsite this morning. The shelter he made was quite impressive, and hadn't leaked at all during the nightly downpours. They gathered his backpack and sleeping bag for safe keeping, as well as followed in his example and set their own shelters under large pine tree boughs. It worked like a charm, and there was no more waking up soaking wet. Snotlout had mentioned that Hiccup and his father used to camp a lot, and so he probably knew a lot about this kind of stuff. Apparently it was a weird Haddock family thing, as Snotlouts dad did the same with him.

' _He can't be dead_...' Astrid thought firmly, expression cold. ' _Please be ok._.."

 _ **A/n**_

 _Hello hello! Touchy-feely chapter, sorry! Poor Hiccup. Don't worry, he'll be back to his sarcastic/sardonic self soon! And also, Toothless will get his name next chapter. I'm tired of typing 'the dragon' lol. Ooo, also, thank you so much for all the follows and favourites! It's so nice to know people like reading my stuff :3_

 _Hope you have a wonderful day! 3_


	4. The Name

"There's _no_ way I'm eating that." Hiccup said, pushing the half-digested fish head away from himself. The dragon rolled its eyes and nudged the gooey thing closer, picking it up in its jaws and shoving it into the boys chest. "Stop!" Hiccup protested, grabbing the fish and tossing it away, far from the dragons cave and into the bush. The dragons ear flaps pressed flat to its head, then it was off. Hiccup sighed as he watched it dive into the bush haphazardly. That creature was going to literally drive him insane. While it was busy looking for Hiccup's 'lunch', he busied himself with wrapping his leg again. It was kind of hard covered in dragon slobber, though.

It was late afternoon, and surprisingly sunny. It was warm on the rocks outside the dragons home, and for a bit Hiccup had been left alone. He had ripped the bottom part of his pant leg to create some makeshift bandages. Now that the nosy dragon was gone, he could safely spread out his injured leg. His nose wrinkled at the sight. Oh boy. This is just getting better. Just below his knee all he could see were bruises. It was like his skin turned blue, yellow, and purple like some Nadder's hide overnight. Carefully he touched the fragile skin, hissing only a little. He could barely feel his own fingers pressing into the battered flesh. Gritting his teeth, he pinched the skin worriedly. His eyes widened when he could just barely feel it.

Ok, stay calm. There's no use to freak out. Besides the fact that there is most _definitely_ something very wrong with his leg, and he was in the middle of know where, cooped up by a crazy dragon!

He tried to take a deep breath, but it was only then when he noticed how uneven his breathing was. The only time he had freaked out this badly was when he got lost in the forest when he was little, hunting for trolls. A deep croon almost scared him out of skin, until he saw the dark hide of the overgrown Terror. The dragon nudged its large head under his arm, licking at his face and making more questioning rumbles. Hiccup pushed away his head, hands tangling up into his hair.

"Look at this! Oh gods, I'll never be able to walk again..." He breathed, covering his eyes. The dragon mumbled, then a sick squelch filled Hiccups ears, and a familiar gooeyness sunk into his clothes. "Seriously? You are not helping!" Hiccup yelled, tossing away the fish head carelessly. The dragon growled, and Hiccup glared right back. "Why don't you just eat me? What kind of situation even is this- I'm stuck on an island, with a weird dragon, who won't stop throwing up on me. That sounds like the set up to a _joke_!" Hiccup ranted on, sounding quite frenzied at this point. The dragons previously bared teeth slid into his gums, and it stared at him as Hiccup rambled on, tilting his head as the human worked himself up more and more.

The dragon tried a few times to interrupt the human, before chuffing, put up with the humans constant babbling. So, he chomped down on the humans fluttering arm (with his teeth sheathed, of course). The human stopped ( _finally_ ) and stared at the dragon, sniffling a little.

"What are you- where'd your teeth go?" He asked with a watery, thin voice. The dragon crooned and let go of his arm, bopping the kid with his nose. Hiccup slowly reached for his face, then lifted one of his scaly lips. The dragon rumbled, just glad the human wasn't freaking out. The little thing seemed quite prone to that. He gently pulled out of the humans grip, putting his gums on display as he proudly unsheathed his sharp teeth. "Oh, interesting. I've never seen that before..." He pondered, then smirked, albeit weakly. "For a second there I thought you were toothless. Hm..." The human eyed the dragon with a playful look.

The dragon just got up and ambled off to its pile of fish, picking up a smaller one, then plopping it near the human. While he liked to play, the human needed to eat. Hopefully he wouldn't toss the food aside like a bratty hatchling again. Hiccup huffed and picked up the fish by its tail.

"At least it hasn't been in your stomach...Toothless." He smiled. "I'm going to wrap my leg then start a fire to cook this thing, just wait." He blabbered on. The dragon made an inquiring noise. "Yes, I just named you. I named a _dragon_ of all things. You like Toothless as a name?" He asked. Toothless just snorted, puffing a breath to mess up the humans hair. At its shriek of defiance, he chuckled (at least, the dragon equivalent) then went to devour the rest of his catch before it attracted annoying little Terrors.

/:/

"Astrid, we have to take a break." Fishlegs pointed out. The blonde looked around, noticing the raggedness of everyone. The twins shared a glance then nodded, siding with Fishlegs. Snotlout turned and looked at them, disgust clear on his broad features.

"Are you giving up already?" He hissed, getting in Fishlegs face. Ruffnut tugged him back, surprised.

"Snot, we've been looking for hours. We've upturned every rock and bush!" Ruffnut defended, shoving him away. She looked to Astrid for help, but the expression on her face was a little scary. Snotlout had the gall to look disappointed in them.

"So! We'll just upturn more!" He protested. Fishlegs only offered a sigh, not wanting to escalate things further. The twins, however...

"Why are you so uppity all of the sudden? Until twenty four hours ago you couldn't stop telling us how pathetic he was!" Tuffnut blurted, ever tactful. Of course his sister barked in agreement. Snotlout glanced at Fishlegs, who looked hesitantly agreeable.

"Why would you care at this point and no other? Now you'll probably get to be the chief." Ruffnut spat. She seemed to regret the words as soon as she said them, though she stubbornly stood her ground as Snotlout stomped towards her and her brother. Instead of using his words, Snotlout just yelled angrily and tackled her to the ground. Tuffnut joined, while Fishlegs rushed forward to pull the frustrated Jorgenson off of the twins.

"Shut up! _Shut_ _up_!" Snotlout screamed, as he kicked and bucked in Fishlegs hold. His eyes were watery and his face dirty. Ruffnut wiped blood from her nose, glaring dirtily at her friend. Tuffnut rolled up his sleeves and went in to punch Snotlout, but before he could even swing,

"Stop it, all of you!" Astrid growled, slamming her ax into the ground. All the teens went quiet. The sounds of the forest, once drowned out by their yelling, drifted among them as they all caught their breaths. "We won't get anything done by acting like...like children!" She hissed, throwing a pointed glare at Snotlout and the twins. They shrunk under her ice cold gaze, while Snotlout just looked away. "We're going to find him. But first we'll break for food. If Hiccup needs our help, we'll be no use to him run ragged." Her voice was softer now, and she set a hand on Snotlout's shoulder firmly.

Fishlegs released him. He took a deep breath, then muttered something about traps, and left through the bushes. Astrid watched him go, brows furrowed in concern. She just hoped his impulsiveness would fade. Shaking her head, she turned to the rest. Tuffnut was offering his sister a piece of cloth to help stop the blood, while Fishlegs was nervously chewing on his lip.

"Try and start the fire. It's not going to rain for awhile, so we shouldn't get too cold. We'll start moving again near dusk." She ordered, half-heartedly. Luckily they were feeling agreeable, and walked to gather wood for a fire. Astrid plopped down on a rock. How did things get so messed up so fast?

/:/

"Toothless!" Hiccup called, pleased when the dragon responded and walked over. He pointed at the small stack of dry wood he had accumulated, after a few embarrassing hours of hopping around on one foot through the forest. "Can you start it?" He asked. Toothless tilted his head, a gesture he now knew was his dragon-y way of asking ' _what_?'

"Shoot. Fire. Boom. You know?" Hiccup tried to demonstrate, blowing at the sticks as if he was a fire breathing lizard. Toothless just seemed amused by his acting skills. "C'mon, please?" He sighed, slowly sitting down on the cave floor. Toothless made another one of his confused noises. Hiccup frowned, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach.

"You're smarter than this, lizard. Just give me some sparks, at least." Hiccup egged on. Toothless opened his mouth in question, slowly catching on. "Yes! Just right there." Hiccup pointed wildly at the firewood. A shiver raced up his spine as a hauntingly familiar whistling sound filled the cave loudly, and fire built up in the back of Toothless's throat. With a controlled puff, the dragon set the wood on fire, the flames going from a concentrated blue to red. Hiccup watched with wide eyes. He then squinted at the proud looking dragon.

"That sounds awfully like a..." He began, but found himself trailing off. Even if Toothless was...that, what difference would it make. He really didn't feel like freaking out again, so he collected himself. "Thank you." He said, patting the dragon after a moments hesitation. Toothless rumbled happily, then curled up around the human and its little fire. Hiccup leaned back into the creatures warmth, before sticking his fish onto a stick and hanging it over the fire. This wasn't too bad. At least, it could be worse. Choosing to ignore the pain at his kneecap, he focused on throughly roasting his lunch. He could deal with this, for now.

/:/

 _Ah, yes, I'm back! Took a long break due to some family problems and a broken laptop. Hopefully some are still with me, if not, hopefully others will like this story still. Sorry if the writing style difference is a little jarring? Idk if there even is a difference, oh well. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day/night!_

 _Also I'd like to thank the reviewer_ _SonadowStories_ _, for inspiring me to continue this. Review anything you'd like too see, mistakes, or theories of what you thinks going to happen. It's going to get a little wild, stay tuned!_


	5. The Hesitation

Toothless scented the air, blinking sleep out of his eyes. His- the human was still fast asleep, tucked against his side. He couldn't help but stare at the rise of its chest as it slept, and the peaceful look on its face. He liked it better when it wasn't so wound up or sad like it has been for the past two days. Toothless liked the human in general, despite its occasional brattiness. It didn't fling pointy things at his hide, or shoot wing-breakers. He was interesting and smart. Almost like him. Snuffing at his patch of soft hair, he slowly got up. But there was a problem.

His bright eyes locked on one of its back legs. He padded over to it, sniffing it again, then retracting with a small snarl. He knew that smell, and it wasn't a good one. _Death_. The human had wrapped his leg feebly in its weird little leaves, foolishly thinking he could stave off the death. Naive human. If he didn't get rid of the dead leg, he would get sick, then suffer from death. Toothless found himself unable to even _think_ of his human dying. Every time he tried to help, the human would push him away, stubbornly. He knew the human was in denial, and it was probably sad to have a dead leg. Toothless knew it was dead since the moment he moved that rock aside. Toothless rumbled in concern, pacing around the slumbering human. He then growled in frustration.

He didn't want to hurt the little human, but he wasn't aware of another way to save him. Snuffing, he shook his head, then spread his huge wings, and took off into the sky. He would mull it over after breakfast.

/:/

Astrid rubbed her eyes, then stumbled out of her temporary shelter. The boys were yelling something, and she wasn't sure what exactly. Her hands locked around her ax as she stepped into the wavery light of early morning. The trees were tall and thin, and the terrain was much more rockier. They were dangerously close to the mountains now. So she had no idea why in Thor's name _anyone_ would be yelling.

She nearly screamed herself as cold hands dragged her into a nearby bush. She pulled herself out of their grip, and nearly axed them, before she saw Ruffnut's wide eyes and crooked nose. The twin shushed her quickly. Astrid blinked and looked around, seeing Fishlegs and Tuffnut hiding as well.

"Snotlout's distracting one head, we're taking down the gas one." Fishlegs whispered, gripping his hammer tightly. Now that she was wide awake, she heard the loud growls of a dragon dangerously close. Ruffnut elbowed her and gestured for her to follow her and Tuffnut, while Fishlegs sneaked around to help Snotlout. Astrid prowled through the greenery, ducking behind boulders as she went, as her and the twins stalked the snapping gas head. She signalled for them to stay low, then waited for the sparking head of the Zippleback to completely turn.

As soon as it snapped towards a shrieking Fishlegs, she burst forth from the bush and landed on its back. The dragon screeched and the sparking head turned to snap at her. The twins changed its mind, as they started trying to pierce its hide with their spears. It roared in pain and anger, bucking and snapping wildly. Astrid lifted her ax, and used her whole body weight to slam it down into the soft spot where the heads met. It sunk into flesh and split scales. She was soon thrown off as it spread its wings.

"Get away!" She screamed, seeing the gaseous head release clouds of green smog. She herself wildly backed away, throwing herself behind a squat rock, as she heard the angry sparking of the other head. The heat of the explosion singed her hair and seemed to broil her skin, and made her ears ring as a result. Coughing up smoke, she hoisted herself to her feet and looked up. The dragon had flown away. Thank the gods...

The outsides of her hands were burnt a bit, as well as her hair. Luckily only the ends, and some small sections. Wincing a little, she picked up her ax and looked around.

"Guys? The coast is clear." She called, a little worried. Luckily the twins came out from a thick grove of trees, while Snotlout coughed as he gathered himself off the ground. Fishlegs rushed to the group a few seconds later, looking as pale as a ghost. For a moment they all tried to catch their breath, weary eyes scanning the area carefully. Fishlegs squinted at Astrid's face, with an expression of worry.

"You got a pretty nasty looking burn on your cheek." He tutted. Looking at the rest, he frowned. "We all got pretty beaten up. That was _one_ dragon guys..." He sighed. Astrid knew what he was going to say next. While most would call Fishlegs cowardly, she knew he was just too cautious for his own good. Unlike most Vikings, he was born with a flight response, instead of just fight. "The closer we get to those caves, the more dragons."

"What are you suggesting, Fishface?" Snotlout grumbled. He didn't sound as angry as he would've yesterday, as the gravity of the situation set into his otherwise thick skull. Fishlegs eyebrows furrowed, as he looked wearily into the thick woods.

"I'm suggesting that we slow down." He sighed. Snotlout swallowed his fury, knowing deep down that he was right. But then again, his cousin may be up in those mountains, in those caves. His little cousin, whom he never got to apologize too. He decided on wiping ash from his face and stalking off to poke at their blown apart fire. Ruffnut rolled her eyes then grabbed her brother, probably to fix up the many scratches along his arms. Astrid touched the wound on her cheek with a small hiss.

Fishlegs was right. Maybe they were in over their heads? This couldn't end well. From her prior knowledge, Hiccup probably couldn't have survived three days all alone, let alone injured. There _was_ a lot of blood on those rocks. Maybe he was already gone? Her hands tightened into fists, and she ignored the burn of her fingernails digging into her palms. _No._ He has to be ok...he's smart, smarter than all of them combined. But on the other hand, she didn't want to harm the others trying to save just one.

She fumed silently, and stomped into the woods. It probably wasn't the smartest move, but she needed to kill something. Astrid was used to being in control, always being on top. This...this was out of left field for her. Furiously she threw her ax into the trunk of a tree. Yanking it out savagely she threw into another. The blade sunk deep into the bark, and it took her several hard tugs to get it out. She was about to toss it again, when a dark shadow crossed from above. Her head snapped up to the sky just in time to see huge black wings gliding up towards the mountain. The faded, familiar whistle of a Nightfury filled her ears, as the noise reverberated through the woods. She felt her jaw drop a little, before she ran back to their cobbled together camp. This wasn't good.

/:/

Hiccup yawned, stretching awake. He blearily looking around, spotting Toothless by the mouth of the cave. Cracking his back, he stood and walked over to the dragon, patting his flank in greeting. Toothless crooned, lifting his head to help Hiccup limp out into the early morning light. The dragon nudged a slightly charred fish into his hands, careful not to get his slobber on it. Hiccup looked at it in surprise, then smiled fondly.

"Oh, thanks. You learn fast." He chuckled, pulling off a small piece. It was a little dry, but he couldn't complain much. A dragon _did_ prepare it, so it was impressive in that aspect. Hiccup leaned against the beast, at ease. After three days, he was finally feeling more and more trustful of the dragon. Toothless was proving to be gentle and quite thoughtful, after all. Much different than what Hiccup usually thought of dragons. He had a healthy fear of them, but his stubborn dregs of curiosity often found him sketching a wild Nightmare, or trying to train his Terror friend to get apples from a tall tree. He thought dragons were fascinating. He much rather observe them from afar than tangle with one.

"I wonder how the others are doing." He pondered, smiling a little. They probably forgot about him at this point. One less mouth to feed. No one ever wanted Hiccup around, anyways (mostly because he was an accident magnet). Toothless chattered back then swallowed another fish whole. Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I wonder how I'm going to explain this." He gestured to the current peaceful scene, giggling a little. Toothless's ear flaps perked at the sound, and he sniffed at Hiccups face curiously.

"What, you nosy dragon?" He continued to laugh, squeaking as Toothless pressed his nose into his chest. "Stop it!" He grinned, shoving his head away. Toothless chirped and parted his lips. Hiccup's laughs dissolved into a look of amazement. "Are you...are you trying to smile?" He gasped, smiling back. Toothless preened and licked his hair, making his bangs stick straight up to the clouds. "Hey!"

/:/

Toothless hummed and laid back down, content that his human was happy. His eyes still fixated on the dead leg, though. He looked up to the twinkling eyes of the small human, and he wrinkled his nose. His human wouldn't like it, but it had to happen. He didn't want it to hurt any longer than it had too. Deciding to put it off, he looked away, out to the forest. Smoke still rose from the loud boom this morning.

Toothless had heard the explosion from the coast with his sharp ears, and had quickly flown inland. Luckily it was far from his cave. Dragons usually didn't fight or blow fire on this island, but aggressive males sometimes clashed. Huffing in thought, he settled his big head on his humans lap, who made that happy little sound again that he liked.

He wasn't worried about leaving the tiny human alone for hunting trips. While he didn't like being feared by his own kind, sometimes it had its perks. Like for example, he got this whole mountain peak to himself, since other dragons were too afraid of his very scent to even rest nearby. However there was that bold Nightmare who sometimes slept in a nook further down the face, when he was feeling daring. He liked that dragon, but he never wanted to tackle or play. Though he had his human now for companionship.

The human yawned, then patted the dragons head. Toothless blinked up at him, noticing his half lidded eyes. "I'm going to nap a bit, I'm not feeling good." The human hummed, while glancing down at his leg. Toothless followed his gaze. His ear flaps folded flat on his skull, but he just crooned in answer, watching the human hobble further into his cave. Toothless steeled himself with a deep breath, then stalked in after his little human.

/:/

 _Hello hello! Thank you all for all the helpful reviews! I can get scatter minded easily, and while I try my best to catch most mistakes, I appreciate the extra help! You guys are awesome, and I love reading your reviews, they make me happy, lol. Also the well wishes for my personal problems are inspiring. It's getting better, and I'm feeling a lot better too (writing helps, haha). Don't be afraid to yell at me if I mess up, or share what you think of the story so far. Anyways,_

 _Have a wonderful day/night!_


	6. The Pain

They had been walking all morning. The teens all were weary and on guard, as well as running on only a few hours of sleep, due to staying up all night. Any small growl or distant roar would have any one of them wide eyed, tensed and coiled in their cobbled shelters. Today, all their feet hurt, but everyone was too tired to complain.

After the Zippleback incident, and Astrid's ominous, awestruck exclamation of 'Nightfury' at the fire last night, the little group had come to a grim agreement. While it was important that they try their best to find Hiccup, it was also important that they survive to the best of their ability. As Gobber taught them, _only the strong can belong_. Only rely on your shield brother or sister to have your back, otherwise a dragon will be chewing on it (and more assortments of wonderful, uplifting quotes aplenty).

It wouldn't do if none of them returned alive...though coming back with out the heir of Berk could be just as problematic. Astrid had to talk down Snotlout all morning when they voted on where they would turn back. For all his thick skulled, ego-pumped mirages of pure Viking annoyingness, he was proving to be quite the honorable man.

Of course, honourable for Snotlout (he had broken Ruffnut's nose in a fit of rage and almost tried to fight with Astrid. _With Astrid_ ). She just wished such an extreme situation wasn't the only time he behaved semi-decently. He hadn't flirted at all since the run in with the Nadder, which seemed to be the only silver lining in this downwards spiral of an adventure.

Blinking against the bright light of the sun through the canopy, Astrid surveyed the skies. So far only a few dragons had flown above them, but none had stopped for a visit, so that was fortunate. She knew walking in the direction a Nightfury flew wasn't the _best_ of ideas, but it was the direction they agreed may hold some answers (or some Hiccups). Earlier they had found a pile of animal bones which was disturbing, though a little promising. They were close to a den, or a busy dragon. She was also on the look out for signs of Nadders, as the creature may have stalked an injured Hiccup. Though so far they were fruitless in finding any signs of other dragon activity.

It was odd. This place seemed unnervingly empty. While dragons flew over, they never stopped. They were nearing the foot of a looming mountain, and she expected a bigger concentration of dragons or at least signs of them being there. But no, it was mostly deserted. Yet her guard was still up. Something wasn't right.

/:/

Hiccup winced a little as his head ache spiked, pounding relentlessly behind his eyes. He felt nauseous- and his forehead was clammy in what felt like a cold sweat. He was certainly _not_ ok, that's for sure. Swallowing down the urge to throw up, he sat up on trembling arms. Toothless was gone, probably catching more fish for himself. Scooting up to lean against the cool stone, he let out a sharp breath through gritted teeth. Where he could feel his leg, it burned, so bad. If he moved it, the pain would increase tenfold.

He bit his lip, hard, as something shifted under his skin. He must've been in serious shock for awhile; he had no idea how else he didn't feel the irregular movement of bone. Taking deep breaths, he let himself recover from the stifling, breath hitching discomfort. Not being able to keep it back much longer, hot tears quietly ran down his cheeks. This was much worse than any burn he got in the forge, or any cut or scrape he got from his clumsiness. He didn't know how much more he could suffer alone. He hoped Toothless would be back soon, as the dragon could be quite comforting when he wasn't being a dork.

Messily wiping away tears, he sighed and looked out the mouth of the cave. Beautiful green leaves ruffled in the wind, some yellow from the approaching autumn. The sky was a soft, gentle blue in the distance, with thin wisps of clouds stretched along the horizon. Slowly his eyelids fell, weighed down from exhaustion. Even the heavy distress settled in his gut couldn't battle his need and want to just _sleep_ , just leave it all behind as he drifted off. He released his worried lip, letting out a long, calming breath. He felt like he was about to doze, but a sudden cold breeze of wind made his eyes snap back open.

He quickly settled, seeing it was just Toothless. The dragon padded in, snuffling the air until his wide green eyes locked on Hiccup. He crooned at the boy, who smiled weakly and reached out for the midnight black creature. Toothless quickly scuttled over, a worried rumble coming from his chest. Hiccup ran his cold fingers along his friends smooth, warm scales on his head. He kindly scratched behind his ear flaps, knowing the dragon was a big fan of that spot. Though the dragon pulled away, to stare him down with a concerned expression.

"I'm not doing all that well." Hiccup confessed, crumbling under that soulful gaze. Even his voice sounded weaker. Toothless's ear flaps flattened against his head. Hiccup frowned and ran his thumb along the dragons brow. "I think it may be my..." He shakily pointed out, looking down at his foot. Toothless snorted, then crooned and rested his head on Hiccups lap, weary of his injury. Hiccup sniffled, then swiped away tears gathering in his eyes.

It was quiet for a moment, with Hiccup ignoring the torment of his frazzled nerves. Toothless was eerily silent and tense, and not meeting Hiccup's watery eyes.

Then the dragon rose to his full height, circling back from the boy. Hiccup's spine went a little rigid from the foreboding way Toothless suddenly carried himself. The dragon crept closer. Hiccup noticed with widening eyes that the dragons piercing, acidic stare was on his leg.

"T-Toothless?" Hiccup called, pushing himself up against the wall harder. He winced as he saw the dragons teeth snap forth from his gums. "Toothless! What's wrong?" He yelled, voice cracking from a build up of fear. Toothless shook his head, as if steeling himself, then lunged.

/:/

"Another one." Astrid spat, picking up a round black scale. The other teens had varying looks of worry on their faces as they saw the scale.

"Another what?" Fishlegs squeaked, pointing timidly at it. Astrid's cold blue eyes locked with his own unwaveringly. He felt a shiver race down his back. Maybe he didn't want to know why she looked so grim.

" _Night Fury_ " she said, tucking the scale in a pouch on her belt. She spun her ax in clever hands, while she stared ahead at the mountain peak in the distance. "And I think I have an idea of where to find it."

/:/

 _Whoopsie, stuff got a little intense there...haha. This story might have a happy ending, so there's that! Also, again, I would like to thank all of you for your helpful and thoughtful reviews! They're flattering and most go very in depth, and I enjoy reading them a whole bunch! You guys are also helpful with catching little mistakes, so thanks for that! Keep em rolling in, they're so inspiring :3_

 _I'm working on another fic idea, where I'm trying to combine a good amount of this fandom's common tropes and put my own spin on them. I kind of do it in this one- mostly with the teens behaviours?_

 _Anyways, have a nice day/night!_


	7. The Rescue

Astrid huffed as she hoisted herself over the edge, small rocks and pebbles dribbling down behind her as she struggled for purchase. She paused for a moment, testing if the small outcrop of rock was truly stable, then slowly shuffled towards the rough wall of rock in front of her. A meaty hand reached up, and she laid on her stomach and grabbed the other teens hands, pulling her hardest to get him up. After both of them struggled for a bit, Snotlout finally found a nook with his foot to push up on. The ledge was much more crowded now, but it was good they were both up. Snotlout warily peered over the edge, seeing the nearly vertical drop down. The climb up these thin peeks was perilous, but it would be worth it if they could just find him...

The others were waiting in the forests below, awaiting Snotlout and Astrid's return. Most had voted not to follow her to the peak so far above the earth.

The shield maiden in training squinted and looked up at how much further they had to go. The dark, stormy grey rock stood out against the soft blue sky, blocking the high afternoon sun with its peaks. They were quite close to the tallest points of the mountain range, its sharp, jagged point mere meters away. The wind howled around them, weaving through rock and leaves. It carried dust that blew into the young vikings faces, but at this point they have become used to it. They had been climbing all day, pushing and pulling each other up onto uneven ledges, or scaling nearly flat walls of stone to try and get to their goal. Astrid rubbed her eyes, grumbling to herself as she took her ax from its loop on her belt. She waited until the wind died down momentarily, then swung her ax into the side of the mountain. It's blade became wedged in a small crevice, held firmly in place by the force of her swing.

"Be on guard." She instructed, her voice hoarse from lack of water all day. Snotlout firmly insisted on saving it for Hiccup, because who knows if he's had access to water so far up? Astrid bent to his will, only because she slightly agreed, and she wasn't in the mood to argue. Using her ax as a foothold, she boosted herself up the last stretch of smooth rock wall. Carefully she rolled onto the much larger ledge of rock above, her icy eyes alert and flicking around the area. Before her lay the large maw of a dark cave, looking ominous compared to the bright day around her. She slowly rose to her feet, chest constricting when she saw little pebble shapes of black gathered around the entrance, leading up like petals of shadow to the black of the cavity before her. So. This was it. She backed away slowly and helped Snotlout get himself up, retrieving her ax from where she wedged it with little difficulty. She kept a close eye on her companion, worried he would do something dumb, like race in with a booming war cry and no plan. Of course this is true viking strategy, but Astrid wanted to stay alive. Valhalla could very well await her arrival for a few more decades. But no, Snotlout just gripped his mace and stared into the darkness, his hands shaking ever so slightly. He had obvious goosebumps, his hair standing on end like a weary cat.

Astrid set a hand on his shoulder. Snotlout was an okay warrior, and Astrid always thought of him as a coward. However, these past few days he's been quite brave. Noble even. He was pushing himself so far, all to just save his little cousin. Astrid could respect that. Maybe once they get Hiccup back- and they will- Snotlout will be a better man. Astrid highly doubted it, but she was glad to see him smarten up for once.

"Let's go in." He growled. Astrid nodded, readying her ax.

"Slowly, and quietly. The dragon is either gone or sleeping. Let's keep it that way." She whispered, pushing in front of him and into the dimness. Snotlout gladly kept behind her.

First she stumbled upon some half burnt wood, charcoal rubbing onto her worn boots. The embers still glowed with some life, flickering in the dark and warming the soles of her shoes. Narrowing her gaze, she pushed the burnt out logs aside. A few bones were gathered against the far wall, however the rib cages of fish were obvious and not as worrying as say, a human figure. They both stepped in further, the cool wind outside suddenly blocked by the cave. They could still hear it whispering outside, like a low warning in the air. Astrid grabbed a stick and dipped it into the hot embers, until a medium sized flame sputtered to life on the end. As soon as she raised it, the warm light hitting all four walls of the cave, she gasped and a sick, cold feeling hit the bottom of her stomach. Red glinted off the stone floor, little dribbles that lead off into streaks. Like someone was dragged...

Snotlout looked ready to throw up his meager lunch, hands covering his mouth. Astrid turned back to him, furrowing her brows. "Stay here, watch the skies. I'll...I'll explore more." She ordered. He looked like he was about to argue, but she fixed him with a stern look. He wilted and turned to lean against the entrance. If things were really worse than she thought, she didn't want Snotlout to see. No, it would ruin his mind for sure. Astrid could handle this. She was strong. She just hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. Gulping, she crept further in, her torch lighting her way. The cave wasn't all to big, but hallowed enough that light struggled to get in far enough. Making sure Snotlout wasn't following, she lit the rest of the back of the cave, following the streaks of garnet on the dark, worn down stone.

The orange light finally caught what she was looking for. Astrid struggled not to make a noise as she ran and fell to her knees next to the crumpled figure gathered against the very back of the cave. She ripped the pelt covering him off, grabbing his face with both her hands and looking at him incredulously.

"Hiccup?" She breathed, her voice thin. His cheeks were so cold. His skin was pale like parchment, and she could make out spider like veins underneath his skin much to easily. His mouth was partially open, and his brows were drawn together in discomfort. "Hiccup!" She whispered louder, gathering his limp body into her arms. She quickly laid her head on his chest, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. It took awhile, but eventually her ears picked up a small flutter of life in his chest, a small and weak beat making itself known.

She sighed in relief, the roar of her own quickened heart quieting. "Oh Hiccup." She frowned, gently brushing a lock of his auburn hair from his dirty face. Maybe it was a mercy he was unconscious. She almost hoped he had been asleep for most of this week, if not to lessen the horrors he had no doubt experienced in the den of the offspring of lightning and death itself. Steadily she stood, making sure the thick bear pelt was securely wrapped around him. She had no idea where he would've gotten it, or how a dragon could have come across it. But she figured it was just more good fortune. It was almost...disturbing how lifeless he seemed. His head lolled against her shoulder, his face hidden behind her braid. His one hand hung down, open and not even twitching. She gently tucked it in the pelt. Astrid wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of iron, almost scared to move the fur and see what was producing such a sharp smell. Instead she stomped out the torch, holding Hiccup securely in her arms.

She paused as he quietly groaned, tossing his head slightly. She shushed him and hurried towards the mouth of the cave, towards the secure light of day. His eyes fluttered momentarily, his eyes unfocused and blurry as his eyelids slid shut once again. Astrid held him a little closer.

"Snotlout!" She called, sliding to a stop where he was watching the skies. His eyes blew wide and he rushed over, his hands hovering over his cousin like he couldn't quite believe he was there.

"Hiccup?" He muttered, relief sagging his figure. Astrid nodded.

"I don't know how hurt he is. We have to get him to the others before-" Astrid paused, her spine becoming frozen with a harsh chill. Snotlout's face went almost blank with pure fear, and he slowly turned, even more in disbelief. There was a roar, a mighty sound that robbed the young vikings of their breath and made Astrid grip the boy in her arms impossibly tight.

Against the blue of the sky, a clear obsideon black outline raced towards them. Huge, bat like wings were spread like a demons, and acidic green eyes held a fury Astrid had never seen before in any of Midguard's creatures.

The Night Fury.

/

 _A/N: Hello! For me summer break is near, so expect more chapters! School took over my life for a long while there, sorry. Just wanted to thank you all for all the wonderful reviews, and the many follows and favourites. It means so much to me that people want to read this. Thank you!_


	8. The Shelter

Astrid immediately threw Hiccup over her shoulder, one hand holding him secure. Her other gripped her ax tight, as she stared down the very dragon that had caused Hiccup so much pain. She never quite understood revenge for the longest time. She thought it was foolish to take your anger on something or even risk your life to settle a score.

However now, she understood.

When pain falls upon those you care about, you will do anything to make sure they are ok. And if that includes taking down the demon that had stole him away, well, she would make it pay.

Snotlout backed up, his face robbed of colour. His mace shook in his sweaty palms, as he ended up beside Astrid. It was only seconds until the dragon would strike. Astrid watched it with her concentrated, cold blue eyes.

"Snotlout, run." She growled. He fixed her with a confused look. "Take Hiccup and run! I'll hold the Night Fury off!"

"No...no. You take him. I will h-hold it off." Snotlout argued, steeling himself. Astrid was slightly incredulous. She was about to respond, but the ground shook under their feet.

Its lips were drawn up, showing all of its spear like teeth. Its eyes were fiery, glaring severely at the two vikings. Its tail whipped back and forth as it paced a little, like a cat on the prowl. The fins on its head were all folded down, all making for a terrifying picture. Astrid momentarily froze.

She shook herself out of it and fixed her stance. Snotlout let out a watery war cry, charging right towards the threat. Astrid quickly set down Hiccup, tucking him against the wall of rock and followed suit. Snotlout got in one hit on its snout before being flicked away by its powerful tail, luckily sliding to a stop before going off the edge. Astrid went for under its chin, kicking it as hard as she could. As predicted it's head was knocked upwards, leaving its neck open.

She went to slice it open, but cried out as intense heat hit her abdomen, the whistle of a Night Fury filling her ears. It shot her back, sending her into a roll across the stone. Astrid curled in on herself, expecting the worse. But when she lifted her shirt, only a ring of fresh bruises lined her stomach. No fire damage? What had it hit her with?

Once again she rose to her feet, racing with Snottlout to at least ward the dragon off. But they were nothing but fleas to it, apparently. It roared and rose, flying towards them. It pinned both teens under a large taloned paw, glaring at the both of them. It stole away Astrid's ax in its jaws, throwing it away somewhere she couldn't see.

Astrid glanced at Snotlout. He looked unconcious. She looked up at the dragon holding her down, and yelled in frustration, kicking and pushing at its paw. It was to busy scanning the area to notice her scratching or screams of anger. It seemed to see what it was looking for, its ears momentarily perking. But when it looked down at her, the flaps flattened again.

"Let me go beast, or kill me already!" She yelled, trying to kick it in the stomach. It growled loudly, pushing down a little harder on her. It stopped growling when her and the beast both heard a small sound.

"Toothless?" She heard Hiccup mutter. He sounded so small, and so quiet. The beast, as if hypnotized, stepped off her and padded towards the barely concious teen tucked in the corner. Astrid gasped for breath, rolling onto her knees and watching helplessly as the beast closed in on Hiccup.

To her surprise, it crooned. It gently sniffed Hiccup's hair, peering at his pale face. Its pupils were round, almost softer, than the twin diamonds they had been before. Astrid slowly inched towards her ax, still watching in disbelief.

Suddenly, Hiccup screamed. It was a horrible sound, hoarse and weak but so loud at the same time. The dragon flinched back.

"No! Get away!" Hiccup cried, his head weakly turning away. He squeezed his eyes shut. Toothless watched helplessly, wanting to nuzzle his human. He didn't want to be the reason the small human was starting to hyperventilate. Usually the dragon would wrap his body around the panicking human, letting him hide in his wings while his attack passed. But Hiccup looked so afraid.

Of _him._

"Get away from him!" Snotlout screamed, running in a dead sprint towards the dragon. He knocked himself into it's shoulder with no warning, knocking it off it's balance just enough to send it over the edge of the outcropping. Its claws scrabbled for purchase, wings blowing out, but Snotlout lost his own balance and fell after it.

Astrid didn't notice. Even before Snotlout hit it, she slid in front of the beast, grabbing Hiccup and sending them both over the opposite edge themselves. She held him tight in her arms as they slid down the gravelly side. Rocks scratched her skin and dug deeply in, but she focused harder on making sure they didn't find any sheer drops. Luckily this side of the mountain was shale, which broke away easily, and made for a slippery but relatively easy path down. Though itself, it was very sheer, and they slid fast down the side. She let out a yelp, as they tumbled over larger rocks, and suddenly it was dark.

/\

Ruffnut poked at the measly fire, the small flames wavering. Raindrops sizzled as they hit the fire, minimizing the fire even more. She frowned, not exactly caring that she was going to be soaking wet soon.

"Ruffnut, I said to hide the firewood _before_ it started to rain!" Fishlegs tuttered, grabbing an armful of deadfall that was already damp. He sighed. Ruffnut ignored him, staring at the edge of the forest. She waited for it to break, revealing the three missing teens. She wished everything was just...easier.

Fishlegs stomped out the rest of the fire.

"Lets go to our tents. No use catching a cold." Fishlegs announced, slightly skittish. Ruffnut regarded him with a blank stare, almost indifferently.

"I'll take the first watch." Ruffnut said. She turned back to looking at the treeline at the end of their small clearing. Fishlegs nodded, walking back to his own shelter. Tuffnut was out to get a rabbit or a fish for their supper. Ruffnut was weird when she was seperated from her other half. Much more quieter, and quite a lot more distant. But he guessed it wasn't just the twins seperation that was causing her grim nature. He just hoped the others would come back soon.

/\

"Hiccup! Hiccup it's me!" Astrid yelled, holding his wrists. He threw himself around madly, kicking and punching at random. Astrid restrained him the best she could, desperately trying to quiet him down. He kept crying out as if being attacked, and blubbering on about someone named 'Toothless'. Astrid could tell he was barely lucid, just by the milky look in his eyes.

He must be deep within the throes of a fever. His forehead was scarily hot, and his body twitched out of control with tremors.

"Hiccup, quiet!" She almost hissed, but softened her tone. She was no good with comforting anything, or anyone. But she would try, if only to sooth her friend. She let him thrash for a bit while she rushed from their small shelter she threw together- evergreen boughs quickly leaned against an ancient oaks large roots. Between two huge roots was a space large enough for two humans to fit comfortably. The boughs kept out the rain, which came down quite heavily. She ran to a small stream nearby, her body groaning in protest.

She soaked a strip of cloth in the ice cold water, then hurried back to their shelter. Astrid set the cooling cloth on Hiccup's burning forehead, shushing him again and wrapping the pelt tighter around him. He finally relaxed, his body going limp. Astrid let out a sigh of relief, looking sadly on at her friend. He still shivered as if cold, but his body burned as if dragon fire filled his veins. She had only the barest idea of what to do. She only had a hunting knife- her ax had been lost in the skirmish up on the mountain. She was most likely far, far away from the side of the island she needed to get to. And Hiccup was so very sick.

His eyes fluttered open, forest greens glancing around. She knew he still wasn't awake enough to process anything. She had seen her father like this once, so she at least knew what to expect. It was scary, and she rarely used that word for anything. He had yelled and screamed, then cried and begged for death the next second. Gothi said fevers are some of the most dangerous illnesses a viking could face, and only the bravest survived severe ones.

"Be brave Hiccup, I know you can be." Astrid hummed softly, moving his mussed, messy hair from his eyes. His eyes closed softly, as sleep finally claimed him with its comforting darkness. Astrid smiled only slightly, hoping he'd sleep all night. Or better yet, until his fever passed. She made sure the pelt was tucked up around his chin, just as her own mother did for her when she was sick. Astrid may not be the most maternal woman ever, but she was a fast learner. He just looked so much different from the Hiccup she's always seen around the village. His usual sharp eyes were glazed over, his fiery auburn locks now dull. His clever hands shook unsteadily, no longer steady enough to tinker with those strange machines of his. She honestly missed that Hiccup.

The boy who was always on the outside, keeping to himself. She knew how important his fathers respect was to him, which made her often at least respect him as a person. That was probably the only reason he came on this gods forsaken trip, to impress the chief. As much as she respected Stoick the Vast, sometimes she agreed in silence when her mother harped on the chief for constantly ignoring his son in favour for chiefly duties. Her mother was a bit of a gossip, but she was also so fierce in battle no one judged her for it. While Astrid was mostly raised with 'tough love', she never felt ignored or brushed aside. She couldn't imagine what Hiccup felt every day.

As she wrapped her wounds, she mulled over all this. Of course she kept her ears open for any movement outside of their shelter, but there wasn't much else to do. Hiccup would awaken to thrash, but his movements became weaker and weaker through out the night. Astrid became gentler and gentler with calming him, just hoping the few herbs she had found could help him break the fever.

Until then, she mended her many deep gouges, and kept watch of the darkness beyond their small pocket of safety.

/\

 _A/N: I have no idea what canon Astrid's mom is like, I just kinda made her into my own character, ha. Also, I'm like 500% sure Toothless wouldn't have killed Astrid and Snotlout, because he's smart enough to tell the difference between adult vikings and baby vikings. He was in a 'you darn kids get off my lawn' kinda mood._


	9. The Useless Ones

Astrid's ice blue eyes blearily opened, and for a bit she thought she was warm and cozy in her own bed. After a few blinks, she knew this wasn't the case. With a bit of a jolt she pulled away from Hiccup, whom she had been curled against. Most likely for warmth, but she still blushed a tiny bit, before rolling her eyes at herself. Hiccup finally looked at peace, if a bit pale. His breathing was thankfully even, and the redness of his fever had finally left his face. Mostly out of habit she set her hand on a pulse point on his neck, sighing in relief at the steady heartbeat. Stretching, she decided to let him sleep longer. No use in rousing him after he finally seems to be sleeping in relative peace. Astrid crawled from their small shelter, noticing the first rays of sunlight were leaking through broken up rain clouds. She walked through the quiet woods for awhile, listening for the crisp babble of a creek or stream. All she could really use to bring the water to her friend was a large leaf she found, which meant she was going to be doing a lot of walking back and forth. She wasn't too sure on what to give someone after a bad fever, but she knew water was generally a good fix all. She didn't dare to try and find any medical herbs just from memory. Poor Hiccup would most definitely get accidentally poisoned.

One thing she did know- after this experience she had a whole new respect for Gothi. Healing someone is way harder than harming them. She also knew she'd have to learn some things from the old woman. Being useless is a feeling she hated with a deep passion, and right now she felt just that. Her frustration boiled over at this thought, and she picked up a rock and chucked it as hard as she could into the bush. To her surprise, instead of a thud, she heard a splash. Smirking despite her situation, she ran through the thick underbrush to find a small stream weaving through smooth looking pebbles. Astrid knelt and after a few failures, was able to cup at least a handful of water in her measly leaf cup. Carefully she stood, and wandered back to the large tree's roots she'd tucked away Haddock in. Ducking in through the slightly muddy entrance, she froze.

Hiccup was sitting up. His eyes were blown wide, and his lip trembling. Oh no. Astrid had no idea how to approach this. He looked two minutes away from breaking down, which is a sight she never wants to see again. To see him in such a vulnerable state- it rubbed her the wrong way. Mostly because in her head he's the opposite- someone who keeps creating, and trying, all with a sense of humour so dry it could cause a drought. Not a wild eyed, yelling mess like he was last night. She can't help but shiver a bit at the recent memory. She tilted her head a bit, because he was _still_ staring. At what? His feet? The large pelt concealed her view from the entrance of the small hole they were in.

"Hiccup?" She asked slowly, as if soothing a cornered animal. He snapped out of his trance with a gasp, his eyes becoming more glassy. Astrid was close to panicking. He locked gazes with her, covering his mouth with one hand. She heard Hiccup mumble something quietly. "I don't know what you're saying, Hiccup." She alerted him, keeping a steady but firm tone of voice.

"It's really gone." He said louder. Astrid shuffled in a little closer. When he didn't flinch, she grabbed his wrist and pulled it down from his mouth.

"What is?" She asked.

Hiccup just pointed with his other hand, the one in Astrid's grip weaving his fingers in with hers to squeeze tightly. Her eyes tracked down to where he was pointing, and it took all her power not to gasp loudly. Instead her mouth hung open. No way. How did she not notice?! Everything seemed to get so much more worse. His one leg was fine, but the other. It was just...gone. At first her brain struggled to wrap around the concept. Just under his knee, all she could see was a mass of black skin. _Burnt skin._ Cauterization then? Did Hiccup do it himself? Why would the dragon only eat his leg? Astrid shut off her brain before she could freak out as much as Hiccup was doing. She threw the pelt over his legs again, holding it down as Hiccup tried to pull it up again.

"It'll be fine." She choked out, attempting a comforting smile. By Hiccup's deadpan expression, she knew she failed. Astrid offered the leaf full of water as a peace offering.

"It's not fine. Far from it! Toothless bit off my leg! Why? I _trusted_ him! I thought we were at least friends- but nooo, did he get hungry? Maybe he was tricking me all along...well, no, he's better than that. What if he was giving me all his food and got really hungry? Oh gods, I yelled at him. I _screamed_ at him! You guys attacked him! Well, he attacked first but-" Hiccup stopped as Astrid grabbed his shoulders, her expression unreadable. She took a deep breath.

"Hiccup. Who the _hell_ is Toothless." She frowned. Hiccup coughed awkwardly. Ah yes. She was still there.

"Uhm. A guy I met." He spit out the half baked lie, immediately regretting it. Astrid's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You met a guy. On Dragon Island, who bit off your leg because he was hungry." She repeated back his mumbling from earlier. Hiccup gulped. That sounded very bad. Usually he was more clever than this.

"Yes." Well, he was running with it now. Astrid sighed, slumping into him. He jumped in surprise, as her head knocked against his chest. His arms were awkwardly out to the side, not quite sure what to do now. He fears that his dumb lying has broken her brain. After a minute, she raises her head. They stare at each other.

"Hiccup. It was a dragon." She said, looking tired, and a bit confused, but mostly confident in her answer. Hiccup gulps, but nods in defeat. Astrid sits cross legged across from him, her head in her hands. Hiccup looks off to the side. He gets the familiar feeling of disappointment coming off her, eerily similar to what his dad does when he accidentally blows up the kitchen for the third time in one month. He hates the feeling. Hiccup turns the rest of his body away from her. Right now, despite all the trauma, he wishes for Toothless's presence. The warmth, and constant rumbling did wonders for his anxiety, which is currently through the roof at the moment. Now that his head is less cloudy from his fever, he knows Toothless was trying to help. He hopes with every bit of his body that he's right. Toothless would never hurt him, right? The dragon saved his life once, and he had the suspicion that he had saved it again a few nights ago. Toothless was better than Astrid, who he had a sneaking suspicion hated him. She had always saved his butt in training, but he guessed it was all out of loyalty to her chief. She probably hated him for being so weak. He didn't blame her.

Astrid got up suddenly, leaving from where she came. Hiccup watched her back disappear into the thick woods. He couldn't help a small noise of uncertainty. Great. She thinks he's crazy. This is wonderful. Frowning, he dragged himself out of the stupid shelter and settled against a bigger root outside. It was cold, but the sunshine warmed him a bit. He wiped away some of his dumb tears, knowing they wouldn't do anything. She was obviously mad, or disgusted. Maybe she went to kill Toothless, unless she already did. When they got back to Berk, she would tell everyone that he was a freak who let a dragon take a chunk out of his leg, then he would be sent to Outcast island or something. Many other ugly thoughts raced through his head, that he tried to silence, but it was hard.

He _was_ a freak. For Thor's sake, he felt safer around a dragon than his own tribesmen. Those few days with Toothless, in their own world, were some of his best memories. He wanted to go back, instead of meeting his fathers eyes again. There's no doubt that he'd think Hiccup was even weaker, now that his leg was gone. He covered his eyes, bringing his knees up to his chest. For awhile he sat there, feeling useless. After about half an hour, he heard twigs snapping. He didn't look up.

Astrid swore, then walked away again. After a moment, the warm pelt was clumsily draped onto him. Her cold fingers tapped the top of his head. Hiccup looked up, seeing her usual stern expression.

"Drink up." She demanded, offering her weird leaf cup. He took it into his palms, eyeing her strangely. She avoided his gaze, her brows knit together now. She seemed pretty conflicted. After he drunk up all the water, he handed the leaf back to her.

"M' sorry." He muttered. Astrid just swore again, getting up and doing her weird pacing thing again. He moved to get the pelt off him, and she stopped her aggressive pacing suddenly, only to wrap it firmly around him again. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her erratic behaviour. "Are you okay?" He asked. She paused.

"No. I have no idea what to do and its pissing me off." She growled. Hiccup wearily scooted away from her. "I'm...I'm sorry Hiccup. I'm sorry for leaving you by yourself. It was immature. I'm also sorry for...um, almost killing Toothless?" She finished, looking just as confused as he suddenly felt at the last part. Hiccup took a moment to process what she just said.

"What." Was all he could say. The pelt fell from around his shoulders at his slackened grip. Astrid let out a sigh that sounded like a build up to a scream. She knelt in front of him and wrapped the blanket around him, tight, and left her hands there, not breaking eye contact.

"I don't have a weapon to defend myself. You can't run, let alone walk. I'm losing my mind. You claim 'Toothless' saved you. You're smart. I'm going to believe you, for some reason." She listed off. Hiccup was bewildered. He's never seen her so...not in control of things. He also thought her one track, dragon killing mind would never believe in his story. Suddenly she pulled out his stump, eyeing it intensely.

"It's so deliberate! And clean! Its even properly cauterized. Not ripped off, just cleanly off. The offspring of lightning and death bit off your injured limb so it wouldn't infect the rest of you. It's so obvious, but at the same time, a damn _dragon_ did it too you!" She ranted, dropping his stump leg (and sending Hiccup tumbling, not so gently). Hiccup knew she was freaking out. Probably for the first time in her life. She didn't know when to stop. Luckily, Hiccup was well used to freaking out. He stumbled to his feet (foot), leaning heavily against the tree. He grabbed Astrid's shoulders, pretty much falling into her before she could pace herself a ditch. She stopped, as he wrapped her up in a shaky hug. It was something he always wanted after a full freak out, so he guessed it would help a bit. He breathed in slowly.

"Okay." Was all he said. Astrid froze up, grabbing his sides to steady him almost automatically. She was quiet, before relaxing the tiniest bit into him.

"Okay." She repeated, shakily breathing along with him. Hiccup smiled a bit, rubbing her back like Gobber did when he was little, and sobbing because he scraped his knee. She may hate him, but Hiccup knew having a breakdown wasn't ever fun. He hoped she would accept his attempts at comfort, if only for her sake. Hiccup knew he had at least calmed her a tad, as she murmured "Okay..." again, in a much more quiet tone.

/\\\/\

Snotlout woke up, because his back was wet. He reached back to see what was the cause, only to be met with a sharp growl. He noticed that one, they were moving, and two, he was hanging from a dragons jaw by his scruff. Immediately he started struggling, which only lead to him being dumped on the ground. He turned slowly, to see the night black beast glaring down at him, its tail whipping back and forth. He froze, knowing he had no weapon, and nothing close to an upper hand in this situation. The Night Fury snarled, then tromped past him. Snotlout blinked, then turned to see where it was going, instead of eating him. He didn't notice its tail, until it pushed him forward along with the dragon. Snotlout pushed the thing away, planning to take off running, but a large black wing popped out in front of his path. Another low growl filled the air. Snotlout ducked under it and took off as fast as he could, not daring to look back. He didn't make it far.

He gasped as claws grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting him into the air. He couldn't help but scream and struggle, kicking his feet like it would do something. Suddenly he was dumped on a particularly big tree branch, scarily high in the air. Snotlout held on for dear life, as the dragon perched in a tree nearby. It chuffed at him, looking... _smug?_ Snotlout glared back.

"Let me go!" He yelled. The dragon ignored him, and instead sniffed the air. His ear plates perked, and he leaned from his tree to sniff at Snotlout. The dragon turned in a specific direction, scenting the air. He seemed quite a bit more happy now, his pupils becoming larger. He spread his large wings, catching a cold updraft and taking off. Snotlout sighed in relief, thinking it finally flew away. But then he remembered that he was on a tall tree, with no hope of getting down unless he felt like snapping his legs. He mumbled a few curses, starting to scoot towards the trunk. He just hoped Astrid and Hiccup were doing better than he was currently. He also wondered why the offspring of lightning and death didn't devour him while he was out. As well as how he was still in good shape. He distinctly remembers plummeting from a cliff, and the dragon roaring so loud it made his ears ring before he passed out.

Maybe his praying worked? Or the beast was toying with him. Who knows? All he knows is that he needs to get down, find his cousin, kill the dumb dragon, and get home. He sighed. Easier said than done.

/\\\/\

 _A/N: Hello, it's been awhile! I know a lot of you like this story and my interpretations of the characters, which is touching. So here's another chapter. It's a little more to establish what everyone's thinking, sorry for the lack of action and copious amounts of dialogue. I'm sorry if updates take awhile, this summer was just, ah, not a good time for me. But writing helps a lot, and I'm feeling better. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and touching pms! I promise I'll finish this, it may just take awhile. I hope that's ok! Love you all!_


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